New Boeing Jet Will Fly Just Under 4000 Miles Per Hour or Mach 5

The "hypersonic" jet could reportedly fly as fast as Mach 5, or just under 3,900 miles per hour, letting the plane fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo in roughly three hours, or from New York to London could be as quick as two hours. Right now, those trips take about 11 and 7 hours, respectively. There is an inherent value in speed.

On the technical side, Boeing will have to design a tail for the planes that can handle the speed, explains Popular Mechanics. The plane will also need to have a more advanced cooling system than normal airplanes, and will need to be able to reach a much higher altitude, as much as 95,000 feet.

Boeing Hypersonic - NBC News

This will take billions and billions of dollars and will literally consume decades before coming to fruition, because first and foremost, materials that are lightweight enough to actually allow the jet to reach Mach 5 have to be developed. Is the payoff worth it?

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg says yes:

“I think in the next decade or two you’re going to see them become a reality,” he told CNBC last year. “We see future innovations where you could connect around the world in about two hours."